Arrival of a Stampede
by Forte the Dragon
Summary: PLEASE do not kill me for the fic idea. GargoylesTrigun crossover. Vash is given a chance to see and visit Earth. He ends up in Manhattan. You figure the rest out.
1. Default Chapter

Summary: Trigun/Gargoyles crossover. At least read the dang thing before judging. After defeating Knives, Vash is given a chance to see and experience the world called "Earth". He ends up encountering.....if you haven't guessed by now, Manhattan's gargoyle clan. What the heck will happen? .....how should I know? I write these fics on the fly.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, and I don't own Gargoyles. Happy? I'm more worried about people killing me for this fic than lawsuits anyway. And give me a break if my Gargoyles information is inaccurate. I'm a fan, but I haven't seen an episode in a LOOOOOOOONG time.  
  
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Planet Gunsmoke, date unknown.  
  
In the barren wastelands of a world with two suns, we see only desert land as far as the eye can see in any direction, save for one figure in clothes which would be EXCRUCIATINGLY HOT for anyone else, carrying someone in an equally impractical outfit. His blonde hair has been slicked up into spiky hair, a slight from upon this man's face, and yellow tinted sunglasses obscuring his eyes. This man, Vash the Stampede as he is known, also known as the Humanoid Typhoon, knew nothing of it, but soon, he would be rewarded for his many righteous deeds...  
  
Nightfall, May City, Planet Gunsmoke, date unknown.  
  
Night had long since fallen when Vash arrived. He was still carrying his defeated brother, Knives, and was looking for somewhere to stay the night, and have Knives' wounds tended to. The frown on his face had not left him.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
He heard no answer, save for the wind blowing gently through the town.  
  
"Vash....."  
  
Vash looked to Knives. Knives' face was still showing an expression of agony. Vash had reasoned by this point he had little tolerance for pain. The same could not be said for Vash, as the wounds on his body, the poorly done patching, the prosthetic left arm.....all of it a testament to the many injuries and times he had narrowly escaped death to help others.  
  
"Yes Knives?"  
  
"You didn't kill me.......why?"  
  
"No one has the right to take the life of another, ever."  
  
Vash then saw lights turn on inside some of the buildings, the flickering glow of lanterns that had just been lit illuminating the window with a ethereal glow. He noticed very surprised looking people come out into the dusty road.  
  
"Who are you stranger?" an elderly woman asked, with her eyes looking over him and Knives.  
  
"Please, can you help this man?" Vash said to them.  
  
"What happened to him?" A small boy asked.  
  
"He's been shot."  
  
Vash had omitted the fact he was the one that had shot Knives.  
  
"We'll do what we can, but what about you?" A man in somewhat dirty clothes asked.  
  
"I need to go somewhere to think."  
  
Vash then took Knives inside, and set him on a bed. He walked out without saying a word, and the family wondered why he frowned as he did. Vash walked out of the city, not going very far off. He walked just over a sand dune, and then sat down, and looked towards the night sky.  
  
"Oh Rem, I miss you so badly......and this world.......will it ever be as green and full of life as the world you described to me? The world called Earth which you told me so much about...."  
  
Vash sighed to himself in grief. How he'd missed Rem so badly. Vash sat there for what felt like hours looking into the night sky before he noticed it was getting brighter. He looked towards the horizon, and soon his mouth hung open in surprise.  
  
"W-what.......there's only one sun! But there's always been two.......wait, one sun......just as Rem said........but......"  
  
As the sun rose over the land, Vash's face went from one of surprise, to one of sheer joy. He smiled at the sight he beheld. Lush, green land, as far as he could see. Water, flowing across the land in a stream, a river as Rem said it was called. Vash looked to the moon that still hung in the sky. It wasn't nearly as close as Gunsmoke's moon, and he couldn't see a massive crater.  
  
"This is.....Earth! But how did I get here? ......And how did I get this back?"  
  
Vash, who had discarded his red coat in the deserts of Gunsmoke, was once again wearing the same coat. Vash stood up, and looked across the land. Where once the sand dune Vash sat upon was, he now stood on a hill overlooking a plentiful forest, an ocean of green. It was truly beautiful, a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life. He sat back down, and rested his hands on the ground. To his surprise, his right hand settled on something metallic. He looked to see what it was. Wolfwood's cross. He remembered Nicholas D. Wolfwood well, and remembered what he once said about this cross.  
  
"Geez, that thing is heavy!" one of the men unloading the cross commented.  
  
"That, my friends, is because it is so full of mercy." Nicholas told to them.  
"Mercy....." Vash repeated to himself, "Someone has shown me mercy. I will not be selfish with this however. I will help people who are in need of help. Who knows? If this is the Earth Rem had described, then this must be the past. Rem had told me Earth had been ruined by over-use of it's resources, so this must be the past if the land is so alive! I might see Rem again! WHOO-HOOO!!!!!"  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////  
  
New York City, Manhattan, Date 1998 April 11th.  
  
Night had long since fallen in the "City that Never Sleeps". Over the city, unnoticed by all, were patrolling the guardians of the night, the gargoyles. In particular, over Madison Square Garden, a gargoyle who's skin color matched the grass on the ground was keeping a vigilant eye to the ground. Shortly, he heard a woman's scream. Lexington frowned.  
  
"Uh-oh. I hope that's not what I think it is, and it's just a purse snatching I'm going to. I still remember that last time."  
  
The incident Lexington referred to was a rather horrendous one. He didn't want to think about it. He glided down to a tree, and worked his way through the branches to the incident.  
  
"You have my money, what more do you want?" the woman he heard yelled, being trapped up against another tree.  
  
"Take a wild guess." the assailant told her.  
  
"Why that no good....." Lexington started.  
  
"You know, if you need money, you COULD just work harder at your job and EARN the money." They all heard someone to the left of the incident say.  
  
"What the?" the assailant muttered as he looked.  
  
Standing there under the light of a light set up in the garden's walking paths, stood a blonde haired man in a red coat, carrying a large cross shaped item wrapped in a cloth and black straps by one hand. He had a knowing sort of smirk on his face, and his sunglasses reflected the pole's light, obscuring his eyes.  
  
"Of course, I don't really know how to help you with your need for love."  
  
"Shut up!" The thief shouted as he brandished a gun.  
  
Lexington wondered who this blonde man was when he heard a gunshot ring out. He looked at the man, thinking he'd been shot. His jaw hung open when he saw the red coated man was the one with the gun.  
  
'I'm sure his hand was empty when I looked before.' Lexington thought to himself as he looked back to the thief, and his jaw dropped lower.  
  
The man's felt hat, the kind that was mostly like a pillow you wore on your head, had been shot clean off his head without hitting the man, and the gun was now in pieces all over the ground.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!" he screamed.  
  
"Now-now, such language. There might be kids present." The blonde man retorted as he twirled the large, silver handgun on his finger, then had his arm bent all the way and the gun pointing towards the night sky.  
  
'Man I love this trick. I hope whoever made that Robo-cop movie doesn't mind.' he thought to himself.  
  
"My gun......wha.....my hat!!! What the hell are you!?! I only heard one shot!!!"  
  
"I'm a defender of the innocent, and a friend to those who are in need of friends, but don't count on me helping you out of this mess, because I'm only friends to people that prefer to obey the law." The blonde man said as he set the cross down next to himself, then pulled one of the straps.  
  
The cloth covering the cross and all the straps flew off, and the cross's many compartments opened up, revealing what could qualify as a whole gun shop's stock. The thief AND the woman were terrified. The man ran like hell itself was chasing him.  
  
"I know I shouldn't, but I love doing that," he commented on his scaring act, then blinked, "Huh? Wait! I'M LETTING HIM GET AWAY!!!!" He yelped.  
  
Lexington was already after the man, and shortly had him pinned down on the ground, beyond bushes that obscured view of him. Lexington checked the man's pulse.  
  
"He's alive, but he must've been scared badly by that guy if my pouncing on him made him faint." he told himself as he looked over the bushes back to the man he saw.  
  
He saw the man apparently reassuring the woman he meant no harm. Lexington couldn't help but snicker a little, having trouble keeping a straight face when he saw the woman slap the guy and run off. The guy held the side of his face, a large red mark very easily spotted on his face.  
  
"But I was just trying to be helpful!! Aw man!" The man said, then held his head down in either shame or embarrassment.  
  
'I wonder who this guy is.' Lexington thought to himself as he climbed up a tree, then leapt from it, and used the winds to glide away.  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xanatos Enterprises Building, April 11th.  
  
As Lexington returned to the castle, he immediately noticed the rest of his clan was present. He also noticed Elisa and Xanatos present too. He frowned. Something was up.  
  
"Hey guys, what's new?" He asked as he landed.  
  
"Elisa told us there's some vigilante out in the city that's doing exactly the kind of thing we are, except he's scared half of the people he's dropped off at the station with fancy gunplay." Brooklyn, a gargoyle with skin the color of clay soil, and a beak, answered.  
  
"Right, the reports say that he...." Elisa started.  
  
"Has blonde hair, a big red coat, and carries a cross with him?" Lexington asked.  
  
The others looked at him, quite surprised.  
  
"How'd you know?" Broadway, a portly gargoyle a lighter shade of green asked.  
  
"Because I just saw him at Madison Garden."  
  
Elisa took out a drawing.  
  
"Did he look anything like this? This sketch was made from a description of him."  
  
Elisa showed Lexington the sketch. All the details were represented, but some of them were a bit off.  
  
"Well, basically, except he had black gloves on, and these glasses that made it impossible to see his eyes."  
  
"Glasses?" Angela, the only female gargoyle there, who resembled her father, the largest of them, asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Some reports did mention yellow tinted sunglasses. It's probably the same man." Elisa commented.  
  
Elisa frowned a bit as she put the sketch away.  
  
"Can you tell me what happened?" Elisa asked Lexington.  
  
"Well, I was patrolling when I heard a woman scream. I went down to help. Someone had taken the woman's purse, and was still after her when he showed up. It was weird. I know when he arrived, one hand was empty and the other was carrying that cross. When the thief drew a gun and I heard a shot fired though, the guy had a gun in his hand, and had shot the thief's gun into pieces AND shot the hat off of the thief."  
  
Elisa looked a bit confused, as did the others.  
  
"Could you run that by me again?" Brooklyn asked.  
  
"The guy in the red coat had drawn his gun and shot the hat off the guy and shot the other gun into pieces with one shot I think."  
  
"Then it has to be our man," Elisa noted, "That sounds like him alright."  
  
"I wonder...." Goliath, Angela's father, and the leader of the gargoyles, mused. His face showed he was in serious though.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Destine Manor, April 12th.  
  
Demona was inside, in front of a fire, angry. She had no current plans, and was still as furious at humanity as always. Since she had no reason to go out this night, she had planned to catch up on much needed sleep, yet sleep would not easily come to her. She sat in front of the fire, an annoyed look on her face.  
  
'Filthy humans........one day I will......'  
  
Then a shrill scream snapped her out of her thoughts.  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"What in the world is that?" Demona mused as she opened a window shade to look.  
  
Demona's expression immediately became one of anger as she saw a human out in front of her manor, then it turned to one of amusement as she watched the poor man scream and run around frantic to dodge the laser fire.  
  
'This I want to see.' She thought to herself, hoping the man in the red coat would soon be blasted.  
  
"AW COME ON, DON'T YOU EVER TAKE A BREAK!?!?!?!?!"  
  
The continuing fire of the laser turrets gave him an answer.  
  
"HOW'D I EVEN GET HERE ANYWAY!?!?!?! I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Demona watched the man, still waiting for him to be blasted. She soon became annoyed at how long it was taking.  
  
'He is a very lucky human indeed. That, and a very loud one.'  
  
Demona then noticed that the sun was beginning to rise. Soon she would need to leave for Nightstone.  
  
'Damn, I'll have to miss him being blasted by the turrets.'  
  
She closed the shade, and awaited her transformation into human form. She felt it come on her, quickly, and painfully, until she was completely human. She got dressed, noting that the turrets had finally stopped firing.  
  
'I was right, I missed it.'  
  
After awhile of preparation, she stepped outside, locked her door, and then turned to the lawn. She was stunned. Every single turret had been melted into a lump of metal except one, and the man was hanging onto it as it swung around.  
  
"Hey lady! Can you help me out here? I kind of got lost and wandered in her by accident and now I'm stuck."  
  
Demona couldn't believe it. How did one man ruin her security system? She gritted her teeth in anger, and opened a hidden compartment in one of the posts on the porch, and turned the security grid off. The turrets went back into the ground, and the man jumped off the last one. Demona noticed him panting.  
  
"Gee, thanks."  
  
"I didn't do it for you, I did it because I have to head to Nightstone now."  
  
The man looked in her direction, with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Nightstone? Is that some sort of garden around here, because I haven't heard of one yet."  
  
"No you fool, it's a corporation!"  
  
Demona's personal driver then drove up the lane in a limousine.  
  
"Gee, nice car." the man commented.  
  
The driver then stepped out and opened the door for his employer.  
  
"Is he a friend of yours Ms. Destine?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Hey! Can either of you give me directions? I'm still lost you know!"  
  
"Gregory...." Demona started.  
"Yes Ms. Destine?" the driver replied.  
  
"Let's just go now." Was the answer.  
  
Demona stepped into the limo, as did Gregory.  
  
"HEY WAIT! I'M STILL LOST!!!!" The man shouted, jumping around frantically.  
  
Demona looked at him.  
  
"What an idiotic......"  
  
Demona then used her car phone as the limo pulled out to call the police. She also used the remote in her pocket to reactivate the security as the man went to the cross he had left on the ground to better dodge the lasers.  
  
"What a night......."  
  
He immediately heard the sound of the turrets coming out. His eyes went wide, and his mouth was wide open and his teeth clenched.  
  
"Aw man! Not again!!!"  
  
Despite only one remaining turret, he still had to dodge frantically.  
  
"HEEEEEEEELLLP!!!!!!"  
  
//////////////////////////////////////  
  
Police Station, April 12th.  
  
Elisa hadn't had much sleep, but she still had some paperwork to do. Then she heard some officers talking as they came in.  
  
"Man, can you believe this guy? The vigilante that's been seen around town, that takes the law in his own hands, ends up getting lost and trapped at Dominique Destine's Manor with that crazy security of hers."  
  
Elisa knew who they meant. She went to the door to look and get a better look.  
  
"You're going to end up being charged with property damage you know." An officer told someone.  
  
Elisa opened the door, and saw the man. He definitely matched the description.  
  
"Could you tell her I'm sorry? I didn't really have a choice, or else I'd be fried like bacon." The blonde man told them.  
  
"GOD! THIS THING IS HEAVY!!!" Two officers groaned, teeth clenched in pain as they carried in a large cross object wrapped in cloth.  
  
Elisa then saw the man look at her, and she could see a look of recognition in his eyes. He stopped walking with the police.  
  
"Rem? Is that you?" He asked.  
  
"Who?" Elisa replied.  
  
"....Uh, whoops. Gee, I'm terribly sorry. For a second, I thought you were someone I knew." He told her as he resumed walking along with the police.  
  
The police behind them groaned, and dropped the cross. The cloth and strap sprang off, and the weapon/weapon storing cross was revealed. It also opened all the compartments.  
  
"THE GUY'S CARRYING AROUND A HARDWARE STORE!!!" the officer yelped.  
  
"Geez, how'd he carry all that around with one hand?" another commented.  
  
They then brought the man to the officer at the desk.  
  
"Name?" he was asked.  
  
"My name? Vash."  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Well, how's the story? 


	2. First meeting

A friend of mine pointed out one small thing I happened to overlook, so it will appear in each chapter of this story from here on out. If you can guess what it is, you get a cookie, but only the first right answer counts.  
  
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Xanatos Enterprises, April 12th  
  
As the sun set over the city, no one on the streets below could hear the roars of the gargoyles awakening from their stone sleep. Elisa watched as they stretched their bodies before getting down off of the ledge.  
  
"Good evening Elisa," Goliath addressed her, "What brings you to the castle at this time?"  
  
"Good news for once. That guy that Lexington saw was caught this morning. I didn't imagine it'd be so easy, but he had ended up stuck in front of Dominique Destine's mansion."  
  
Goliath did not quite understand, but did not show it.  
  
"Who?" Broadway asked as he stepped over.  
  
"The CEO of Nightstone Unlimited. She apparently has a security system that rivals Xanatos' at her home, because he ended up stuck dodging around until the police arrived to arrest him. He did a heckuva number on most of the security though."  
  
"What do you mean?" Angela asked.  
  
By this point all of the gargoyles had become interested.  
  
"Before he ended up caught there, Ms. Destine said there were over fifty laser turrets, but he reduced that to one by getting all of the lasers to fire at each other. That's not something you hear of every day. Still, when I saw him brought in, he didn't seem like a vigilante to me."  
  
"So you're saying it might be someone else?" Lexington asked.  
  
"I don't know. But we do know the name of the guy we have is......hey wait!"  
  
Lexington was over at the ledge already.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll just go see if it's the same guy I saw in the park, it's not like I'm going to get in trouble or anything."  
  
Lexington then leapt off the tower and started to glide to the station. Brooklyn and Broadway looked over.  
  
"....I don't know, what if this guy is bad news?" Broadway asked.  
  
".......I guess we'd better go make sure he doesn't get into trouble like the time he got caught and displayed in Madison Garden."  
  
Brooklyn and Broadway then jumped over the side and glided after Lexington.  
  
".....Well, maybe it'd be a good idea if we had a better grasp of who the real vigilante is. We've had numerous reports of his sightings, some of which conflicted, so it'd help." Elisa figured.  
  
"If this man is as you've said, then I sincerely hope that they aren't in any danger." Goliath told her.  
  
///////////////////////////////////  
  
Police Station Alley, April 12th  
  
Lexington looked into the third barred window in the alley. No one that even looked anything like the description or who he saw.  
  
'This isn't looking good so far. There's only one window left.'  
  
Lexington then froze when he heard trash cans banging around.  
  
'Oh no, I don't want to be caught.'  
  
Then he looked over, and stepped slowly towards the cans. He then heard something land behind him. He turned, and saw Brooklyn and Broadway.  
  
"What are you...." Brooklyn started.  
  
Lexington signaled them to be quiet, and pointed to the trash bins. The other two got the message, and also stepped slowly to the bins, when all three saw who their mysterious spy was.  
  
"Meow."  
  
They all sighed in relief when they saw a black cat with big yellow eyes pop out of a bin to look around.  
  
"So much for that." said Broadway.  
  
"Hey, who's out there?" Lexington heard a familiar voice say.  
  
"That's the guy from the park I saw." Lexington whispered as the three pressed back against the station wall.  
  
The cat then scampered over to the one window Lexington had yet to check, and up on piled up boxes, where two leather clad hands grabbed the cat gently.  
  
"Meow!"  
  
"Hey there little fellow, are you lost? I don't see a collar or a tag, so you must be all alone out there." the same voice said.  
  
"He sure doesn't sound like some nutcase with guns to me." Brooklyn whispered to Lexington.  
  
"HEY! SHUT UP YEH FREAK! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!!!" They heard someone inside shout.  
  
"You know, yelling isn't always a good way to sort out ones problems. You could just ask me politely if I could speak not as loudly." The man who now had the cat said.  
  
"JUST SHUT UP! I HAVE A HEADACHE!!! OWWW!!!"  
  
"Well with the way you're shouting, I can see why..."  
  
Broadway got curious, and looked into the window over him. He saw a sloppily dressed man staggering about in the cell. Broadway became scared when he saw the man look directly at him, and ducked back down.  
  
"I must still be drunk!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I just saw the Jolly Green Giant off of those frozen veggie bags outside my window."  
  
Lexington and Brooklyn ended up snickering.  
  
"What? What's so funny?" Broadway asked them.  
  
"Oh, nothing." Lexington told him.  
  
"Yeah, I can't imagine how he took you for him." Brooklyn added.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing with that cat?"  
  
Lexington looked in the last window. There, he saw the same man he saw in the park, and a guard looking into his cell.  
  
"He just came in through the window."  
  
"Well I'm sorry, but no pets."  
  
"But he's not my pet. He's homeless. See? No collar or tag."  
"Just the same."  
  
"All right then," The blonde man said, setting the cat down, "You go with the nice man, okay?"  
  
"Meow?"  
  
"I hardly think the cat can.........understand..........you?"  
  
The guard then noticed the cat walk out of the cell through the bars meant only to hold larger beings, and rub up on the guard's leg.  
  
"Er......I'm going to pretend I didn't see that, but how did you...."  
  
"You just have to be kind with cats so they'll trust you. That and I think he's interested in the bit of my loaf of bread I tossed into your pants cuff to bribe him."  
  
The guard sweatdropped.  
  
"You did what? I didn't see that."  
  
"You were watching the cat."  
  
The guard then walked out, with the cat following. Lexington snickered as he ducked back down.  
  
"Yeah, that's the guy all right."  
  
"Okay, so now that we know, we'd better get started on our patrol." Brooklyn reminded him.  
  
"All right, can I ask who else is out there? I heard you guys talking the whole time."  
  
Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway sweatdropped, then quickly climbed up the other building, and leapt off to glide back to the castle. Soon Vash looked out his window.  
  
"......Guess I was either hearing things or they left in an awful hurry."  
  
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!!!"  
  
Vash then sighed at the drunkard's continual shouting....  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
"I can't believe the guy heard us. I hope he didn't spot us, who knows what kind of trouble we'll get in." Lexington muttered.  
  
"Uh, guys....." Brooklyn started.  
  
"Relax, it's not like anyone will believe him. It'll be like that guy that thought I was that Jolly Green Giant just because I......Hey!" Broadway interrupted unintentionally.  
  
"Guys...."  
  
"Well, it looks like you finally caught on to that joke." Lexington said, starting to laugh.  
  
"Guys....."  
  
"Well that's not....."  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Then Broadway and Lexington looked back to what looked like a light show in the alley they just came from.  
  
"Now do you guys see what I was trying to tell you?" Brooklyn told them as he dove to the alley.  
  
"This isn't good." Lexington commented as he and Broadway dived to the alley as well.  
  
"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT WITH ME!?!?!?!?!" Vash shouted, still dodging the laser fire that had blasted his cell wall apart.  
  
"You've ruined good business deals of ours. Now that we finally found you, we're going to kill you." a well dressed person in the group said.  
  
"Then leave these people out of this! You don't have to kill them!"  
  
Vash was upset that they disregarded who got in the way as they fired. The cell behind Vash was Swiss cheese now, as was the woman that was previously in it. The guards rushed in now.  
  
"Trying to escape?"  
  
"NO! AAHH!!! HONEST!!!! WHOA!!! ASK THEM YOURSELVES IF THEY'LL STOP SHOOTING!!!!"  
  
Vash then dodged one last blast that threw the door on his cell across the room. Vash immediately rushed to a guard.  
  
"Can I borrow this for a sec? Thanks!" Vash told the guard and ran outside through the wall that was blasted open.  
  
"Huh?" The guard wondered, as he checked his person. The gun on his shoulder holster was gone.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
By this time the gargoyle trio was over the gang on the opposite building.  
  
"What do they want with him?" Broadway asked.  
  
"I have no......what on earth?" Lexington said, then barely stuttered.  
  
Down below, the gang leader's laser pistol was shot out of his hand, and they saw the red coated vigilante rush out WAY too fast. They could see after images of him briefly as he grabbed the laser pistol while it was still airborne, and rolled past. The guards got out in time to see Vash spin around, and blast the guns of the other thugs, melting some with his newly acquired laser pistol, and shooting the others out of their hands. They all were panic stricken, staring at Vash like he was the Devil himself, and the gargoyles were shocked, jaws hanging open.  
  
"You can have this back mister!" Vash said to the guard he borrowed the gun from as he chucked it over to him.  
  
The guard caught it, and saw Vash kick an unmelted laser pistol up into his now empty hand.  
  
"Okay guys, are you going to behave from now on?" he asked them.  
  
"YES!!! HOLY CRAP!!! DON'T SHOOT US!!!!"  
  
The police then placed handcuffs on the entire gang, the leader of the attack, a well-dressed businessman with a black ponytail and blue eyes, glaring at Vash.  
  
"Wow....that was fast!" Brooklyn exclaimed.  
  
The police then stepped slowly towards Vash, who was fiddling with the two laser pistols in his hands.  
  
"Wow, I could use these. They have a stun setting right here! Now how do I actually set it?"  
  
Then all the police dived at Vash. It looked like they'd grab him, when suddenly they were heading at thin air and crashed into trash cans.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry guys, were you trying to catch me?" Vash asked, now a good three feet to the left of where he was before.  
  
"God, this guy's fast!"  
  
Vash then finally set the laser pistols to stun.  
  
"Hey guys, can I ask a favor? Can I please have the stuff you took away from me back? That cross and everything in it belonged to a close friend of mine, and the handgun was a 'gift'."  
  
Vash didn't mention it was given to him by Knives, who wanted him to kill people with it. Besides, Knives was a faint dream now.  
  
"Are you CRAZY! Look what you did!" An officer pointed to the wall.  
  
"Actually, those crazy thugs did it." Lexington muttered.  
  
"Gee, I'm sorry about that, I seem to be a magnet for trouble. I guess there's a good reason people call me a Localized Human Disaster."  
  
The officers all had looks of disbelief.  
  
"They call you THAT? I can see why."  
  
"Another name people call me is the Humanoid Typhoon, but I just prefer my own name, which is Vash. Some people tack on 'the Stampede' after that though, so I guess even that sounds like a bad name, doesn't it?" Vash said, a sheepish grin on his face, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, which still held a laser pistol.  
  
"Vash the Stampede?" one officer asked, "I can see why, it looks like a herd of buffalo came through here!"  
  
"So his name is Vash, eh?" Brooklyn noted.  
  
".....You know what, I never thought of that name THAT way, but yeah, I have to agree with you there.....I'm still sorry by the way."  
  
"It still doesn't fix the wall you blew to bits."  
  
"Uh, actually, they blew it up, but they were after me, so I guess you COULD say I did it, but it wouldn't be entirely honest."  
  
A couple of the officers were getting a bit annoyed. Then a blue car pulled up to the station.  
  
"Back here!" A guard shouted.  
  
Then Elisa came back into the alley. Vash smiled and waved.  
  
"Hello!"  
  
Elisa just looked around.  
  
"How on earth did he do this?"  
  
"Well, I was just minding my own business inside when these guys I ruined some black market weapons deals with...."  
  
"Never-mind that, inside now, explain later!"  
  
"Whatever you say...."  
  
"AND PUT THOSE DAMN GUNS DOWN!!!!"  
  
Vash looked in his hands.  
  
"Whoops, forgot I still had these." Vash said as he dropped them. They accidentally discharged, blasting the building the gargoyles were on. The wall began to topple.  
  
"WHOA!!!" Brooklyn yelped.  
  
"LOOK OUT!!!!" Lexington shouted.  
  
"HOLY CRAP, RUN!!!!!!" Vash shouted as he ran towards the police and tackled some out of the wall of the falling wall.  
  
The police did run, as did Elisa, as the alley became a pile of rubble. As the dust cleared, there was no sign of the gargoyles. The police, unaware they were in there, turned to Vash and gave him death glares.  
  
"Whoops, that time I did cause it, here, I'll help pick up."  
  
Vash walked over to the mess, and began picking up some of the mess. The police groaned.  
  
"Is it just me or does this guy just seem to have a really bad luck streak?" One asked.  
  
"He DID say the reason he was in Destine's yard was because he got lost."  
  
"He still blew up her security," an officer said, starting to count off on his fingers, "got our station's east wall blow apart, decimated the building next door, and is charged with weapon possession without a licensed registration to use or own them."  
  
Vash looked back.  
  
"Wait, I need what?"  
  
He blinked as he saw the officers become frightened and run into the station. The Rem-look-a-like in his opinion, Elisa, looked concerned.  
  
"What?" Vash asked as he looked back, and stared face to face with something that had a big green face.  
  
Broadway had sat up out of the rubble, and was now staring Vash eye to eye. They were silent, until Vash then screamed loudly and ran off like lightning. Brooklyn and Lexington got up to, and Elisa ran over.  
  
"Are you guys all right?"  
  
"Nothing a good day's sleep won't cure," Brooklyn told her, rubbing his head, "What happened?"  
  
"That vigilante dropped his weapons, which ended up blasting down the building. Now he took off after seeing Broadway."  
  
"Ouch. Any idea where to?" Lexington asked.  
  
"None. Here, I'll help you guys out of there."  
  
Elisa gave Lexington a hand to help him out of the mess, and Broadway got out, being at the edge of the mess and not buried much. Brooklyn grumbled as he was getting himself up, and was quite surprised to see a leather clad hand held out to help. He looked up and saw Vash's face.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Need help?" Vash asked.  
  
Elisa, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington blinked.  
  
"But you just...." Broadway started.  
  
"I know, I ran, but I came back to save R-......er, her, and since I saw she seems to be friends with you, then you guys can't be bad at all."  
  
Brooklyn looked at Vash's hand, then accepted the help up. Vash assisted Brooklyn into standing up. That's when they noticed that he had the cross back, still carrying it with one hand over his back.  
  
"So you guys do know I didn't mean to knock down the building you were on, right?" Vash asked.  
  
"......Er......."  
  
Vash frowned a bit.  
  
"O-kay then....."  
  
Vash then saw two intact laser pistols. He set the cross down, it standing upright, as he picked them up.  
  
"Considering some things I've been through, these might come in handy." He said as he opened the cloth wrap on the cross. It opened up, revealing the sleek metal cross. Vash pressed a switch on it, opening the weapons compartments. While he was checking everything, the others were talking.  
  
"Geez, my ears are still ringing from that." Brooklyn complained.  
  
"We'd better leave here fast before the others come back." Elisa warned.  
  
"I totally agree with you. For one, I don't seem to be too popular with the people around here." Vash chimed in.  
  
They looked to Vash, who was swapping out a gun on the end of each arm of the cross for the acquired laser pistols. Then he closed the compartments, and looked at the two pistols in his hands.  
  
"I would hate to get rid of these. They were Wolfwood's.......but I hardly use guns like these."  
  
Then Vash walked over to Elisa, and handed her the pistols.  
  
"Here."  
  
"Wait, what?" Elisa wondered.  
  
"For protection."  
  
Elisa remained silent as Vash wrapped the cloth around the cross and replaced the black straps holding the cloth on. Then he once again was carrying the cross over his shoulder.  
  
"So can I come with you guys for now, because I still can't find my way back to my apartment."  
  
The three gargoyles sighed.  
  
"Oh boy. I'm afraid what he might end up doing if we do take him along. Besides, we just met him. He might be trying to get our trust to hurt us." Lexington reasoned.  
  
"I don't know why, but for some reason.......I can't possibly imagine he'd try to hurt us." Elisa told them.  
  
"I get that same feeling." Brooklyn added.  
  
"Aw come on guys, I promise I won't tell! Besides, who would believe me anyway?" Vash argued.  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xanatos Enterprises, April 12th, nearly midnight.  
  
"Wow, this place sure is big! Wow!"  
  
Elisa rolled her eyes. For someone carrying an arsenal on their back, he was easily impressed. She still had no idea how she could just tell he could be trusted. It was just like he......like he was different from any other person.  
  
"Excuse me. Detective Maza."  
  
Elisa looked over to Owen. He had just entered the main hall of the castle part of the building.  
  
"May I inquire as to the identity of your guest?" He asked, in his ever-lasting monotone voice.  
  
"Oh, me? Just call me Vash." Vash said as he looked to him, then back to a tapestry.  
  
"I shall inform Mr. Xanatos of this guest. May I ask if he is acquainted with our....more reclusive company?"  
  
"He is." Elisa replied.  
  
"I see.....Mr. Xanatos will be with you shortly."  
  
Owen then walked off to find his employer, David Xanatos.  
  
"I just hope bringing you here wasn't a mistake." Elisa told Vash.  
  
"You mean because you don't think you can trust me, or because of the trouble that seems to follow me?" Vash asked.  
  
"Both, but mostly the latter. I'm half-expecting you to sneeze and end up bringing down the entire building considering what I've heard." Elisa joked.  
  
"Well it wasn't my fault those guys wanted to kill me.........or the building being blasted down, that was an accident.........or the time Bad Dynamites Neon tried to split the Sand Steamer in half......."  
  
"When who tried what?" Elisa asked.  
  
Vash realized what he said.  
  
"Oh, nothing, just thinking of the past."  
  
Vash then set the cross on his back up against a wall.  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Elisa asked Vash.  
  
"You mean the one you just did, or another one?"  
  
"Another one. Back at the station, this morning you called me 'Rem', and before we came here, you almost did so again. Why?"  
  
Vash frowned, and looked down.  
  
"Because you remind me of someone I knew."  
  
"I see....."  
  
Vash then continued to look at the tapestry.  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////  
  
So how's this for an update? 


	3. Trouble

I can't accept all the credit for the stories. I've had help with some of them from a friend on AIM. I also can't say who without their permission.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xanatos Enterprises, April 13th. Just past midnight.  
  
Elisa noticed the sad look on Vash's face as he looked at the tapestry.  
  
'I wonder why he seems so upset.....'  
  
Then he seemed to come to realization.  
  
"You know what? I just realized I don't even know your name. Kinda dumb, huh?"  
  
Elisa then realized he was right. About the part of him not knowing her name anyway. She never did tell him. She had been a bit tense about the events that had occurred.  
  
"Detective Elisa Maza." She told him.  
  
"Wow, a detective? Sounds great!"  
  
Elisa still couldn't get over how he seemed so genuinely happy about the tiniest things, or thrilled over things she had ended up not noticing.  
  
'Very strange man.'  
  
Then Elisa heard the door.  
  
"Ah, welcome Detective Maza." A well tanned man with dark hair said as he entered.  
  
David Xanatos just had to address her by title. She found it a bit annoying, but kept it to herself.  
  
"I see we have a guest for this visit." Xanatos noted.  
  
"Hi!" Vash said cheerfully to him.  
  
'.....He sure changes moods fast.' Elisa thought to herself.  
  
As for Xanatos, he was a little surprised a grown man would act as he was now.  
  
"May I ask who you are?"  
  
"Me? Just call me Vash!"  
  
"Informal I see." Xanatos reasoned.  
  
"No, that's just my whole name. I don't have a last name," Vash told them, seeming briefly upset again before changing the subject, "So what's your name?"  
  
"I am David Xanatos. I own the building you're in."  
  
"Wow! Really? I bet it's pretty cool owning your own building!"  
  
Vash then went over to a suit of armor and looked at it as Xanatos went over to Elisa. Elisa also saw Vash take a small box from his coat, and pull something out. It was a glazed doughnut.  
  
'Oh brother.'  
  
"About your 'friend'," Xanatos whispered, "He seems a bit...."  
  
"Immature. I noticed," Elisa whispered back, "But I can't say how, but I know without a doubt he can be trusted."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"Hey Dave!"  
  
Elisa tried to keep a straight face as Mr. Xanatos looked at Vash.  
  
"Dave? Now I'm certain you're informal.......Oh."  
  
Vash was currently running top speed around the room, being chased by the pet of the gargoyles, a kind of "gargoyle-dog", name Bronx.  
  
"Bad dog! Don't eat the nice man! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"  
  
Elisa sighed. Xanatos just watched in curiosity.  
  
"Stop running! I think he's just hungry!" Elisa called out to Vash.  
  
"Why do you think I'm running!?!?!"  
  
Then they noticed an old, brown gargoyle enter.  
  
"Now what is goin' on in here? One moment Bronx is with me, and the next he runs off acting like there's an intruder." The old gargoyle, Hudson, said in his Scottish accent.  
  
"Bronx huh? Well can you tell him I'm not a chew toy please?"  
  
Hudson then noticed the man Bronx was chasing down. He also noted the item in his hand.  
  
"I think he just would like to have that tid-bit of food in your hand." Hudson told Vash.  
  
"What, this?" Vash asked, "Aw man!"  
  
Vash then stopped, turned around, bent down, and held out the doughnut. Bronx stopped running, and took the doughnut out of Vash's hands and began to eat it. Vash sighed in relief.  
  
"At least it's not me in those jaws." He said.  
  
"Bronx doesn't eat people." Xanatos pointed out.  
  
"Oh.........guess I'm a little high-strung." Vash commented, with a sheepish grin and his right hand on the back of his head.  
  
"All right, now that Bronx isn't giving you unwanted exercise, do ye' mind telling me who you are?" Hudson asked Vash.  
  
"Oh, me? Vash!"  
  
"Vash, eh? I've never heard a name like that in my lifetime." Hudson informed him.  
  
"Well, it's a unique name I was told," Vash said, starting to seem upset again, "So, you're friends with those guys I met earlier?"  
  
Hudson seemed a bit confused.  
  
"Um........Oh man, I didn't ask their names either!" Vash yelped, feeling really stupid.  
  
"You mean us, right?" Brooklyn asked, as he, Lexington, and Broadway came in.  
  
"Yeah! I kind of forgot to ask your names earlier. Is that dumb or what?" He asked, again with a sheepish grin.  
  
"He seems a lot like a small child at times, doesn't he?" Xanatos asked Elisa.  
  
".....Now that you mention it, he does."  
  
"Come on, the rest of the clan would like to meet you." Broadway told Vash as he headed off.  
  
"All right with.....WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Vash yelled out as Bronx pounced on him and began licking him. The cross Vash held was thrown back, and landed on the floor.  
  
"Bronx likes you. That's a good sign." Lexington pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, I know, friendly fellow, but could you ask him to stop?"  
  
"Come on now Bronx, no need to be overly friendly." Hudson told Bronx.  
  
Bronx looked to Hudson, and got off of Vash. He then felt his face and hair. Lexington snickered.  
  
"Uh, your hair is......."  
  
Vash's hair was now wildly messy, and his hair and face extremely sticky.  
  
"I guess that because he ate my doughnut before licking me. Can I use a sink to wash it off before I meet the others?" He asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Hey, don't forget this thing." Brooklyn said as he tried to lift the cross.  
  
It became immediately apparently that it was extremely heavy since Brooklyn's legs were wobbling as he strained to hold the cross up with both arms.  
  
"Man! Why in the world is this thing so heavy?"  
  
"That my friend is because it is so full of mercy." Vash answered as he took it from Brooklyn's hand and held it over his should with one hand.  
  
Everyone was surprised a bit at Vash's answer.  
  
"So, which way to a sink?" Vash asked.  
  
"I'll show you." Lexington answered as he walked off.  
  
Vash then followed Lexington through the halls of the castle.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE GOT AWAY!!!!!!"  
  
The thugs reporting to their boss were being yelled at.  
  
"It's not our fault, he's fast as hell! Before we could blink he was behind us!" one told their boss.  
  
"I'm not going to take ridiculous stories like that. You're going to get the rest of you out of prison. I want that cocky blondie's head on a PLATTER for ruining those deals!"  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Destine Manor, April 13th  
  
Demona was very busy setting up a magical ritual. She was also thinking about how a human could so quickly and easily ruin her security. She put that out of her mind. Distractions during a ritual were not a good thing. Plus she had replaced the lost security anyway. Expensive, but worth it. She then finished making a pentagram on the floor with salt.  
  
"Now to summon an obedient being to serve me. I will yet destroy the humans, but I need something capable of holding Goliath and his misguided clan at bay while I work my plans."  
  
Demona then read through the scroll with the incantation. On it was a very useful spell she had not thought to use before. She double checked the meaning of the words.  
  
"Now, the words on this scroll translate to mean, 'Summon to my service, a being that shares my goals, my hatred, and my will. Summon from the void of the dead my servant, my slave, my puppet. Bring me a being capable of my will.' .....this should do nicely."  
  
Demona then went around the circle, chanting the scroll's incantation in it's original language. Many an arcane word was said with skill and force, as she then took a handful of an unknown powder and threw it into the middle of the pentagram. Then a strange light came from the center of the pentagram. First it was red as blood, then changed between the colors of the rainbow, then finally settled on white as Demona saw something inside the pentagram. As the light died down, her anger rose greatly.  
  
"This cannot be right! A HUMAN is my slave!?!"  
  
Demona was furious at the man kneeling in the pentagram. He was nude, due to the fact clothing is not part of one's body, however, the shadows cast by the candles in the room hid anything considered indecent. She then heard the man speak.  
  
"Where am I?" He asked in a monotone voice.  
  
"Have you any memories?" She asked.  
  
Demona began to wonder if this was indeed a human. He had no emotion heard in his voice. When he asked, he sounded more like he asked just to know, not as if he was scared or confused or anything.  
  
"I do, but none concerning you." He answered, still without emotion.  
  
The man then looked up at Demona. She saw his yellow eyes, a glow of foreboding seemed present within. She also noticed something else odd. The man's left arm, from below what looked like stitches, did not precisely match the rest of the skin tone.  
  
"I summoned you from death to be my slave, and you will act as such, or I shall kill you again. Is that clear?" Demona told him in a serious tone.  
  
She heard him mutter something, but it was mostly mouthing it to himself, but she did catch a few words.  
  
"So.......pull.......Vash......killed......."  
  
"What was that?" Demona demanded, angered.  
  
"It is no longer important to me now, as I can obviously see this is not the world I once knew. If I am to serve you, then let it be, however, I would like to know what it is you wish of me." He told Demona.  
  
"Well, at least you readily accept your new fate well. You are going to help rid this world of humans like yourself!" She told him.  
  
Much to Demona's surprise, the man laughed to himself.  
  
"So I have been spared from death to serve again to destroy the human filth that has polluted this world. I see no problems I shall have serving you if that is truly my fate."  
  
Demona thought, and then remembered again the meaning of the spell.  
  
"All right then, is there a name you have, or should I just call you slave?" She asked him, annoyed.  
  
"......Legato......my name is Legato."  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
......holy crap.........big trouble. 


	4. Return of Pain

All right already! Sheesh. No need to rush updates. Let's not forget the fact I'm writing this on my time, so that means I need the time to write. I also would need an idea of WHAT to write...  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Xanatos Enterprises, A.K.A. Eyrie Building. April 13th.  
  
Vash stepped out into the plaza of the castle resting on top of the skyscraper. He looked around, and couldn't see any stars. He returned his gaze to eye level.  
  
"Who is that with you?" Vash heard someone ask.  
  
Vash looked to the source of the voice to see a tall purple gargoyle with brown hair and a very strong build, and next to him was a female gargoyle not as tall or muscular, but had the same color of skin and hair.  
  
"He's the guy Elisa told us about." Brooklyn told Goliath.  
  
"....and he has earned your trust so quickly?" Goliath asked.  
  
Everyone then looked to Vash, who was looking towards Goliath. No one was sure what he was thinking at the moment though.  
  
"Maybe he realized he's not dreaming." Lexington suggested.  
  
Vash then raised a hand, and waved to Goliath.  
  
"Hello."  
  
The fact Vash was treating them all like good friends then caught the others off guard...  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Nightstone Unlimited, April 13th.  
  
"Another detail to bring up in this board meeting. I have appointed someone as second in command of Nightstone Unlimited."  
  
A murmur swept throughout the board room. Dominique Destine, a lone wolf CEO, was appointing a second in command?  
  
"May I introduce to the board, my advisor and second in charge, Legato Bluesummers."  
  
Legato then stepped into the room, currently wearing a navy blue business suit with a matching tie and a white shirt underneath. It wasn't his idea to be placed in a high position of corporate business, however, Demona had figured she could use him to work out business deals that would otherwise be impossible. She had noted to Legato that there were times before when the fact she was a gargoyle by night had impeded business deals which could assist in her plans. Legato acknowledged this, and had thus agreed to this idea.  
  
"Any other matters to discuss?" Dominique asked.  
  
"None."  
  
"Then this meeting is concluded."  
  
Legato then gathered up Dominique's papers and files, placed them in a suitcase, then opened the door for her, then followed her out and down the hall. On their way to Dominique's office, Legato noticed she seemed to be in thought.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm positive those fools back there would gladly want to replace me, and I think they might plan to use you to do so."  
  
Legato then had a wicked smirk.  
  
"I think they will find that they will be my puppets, instead of me being their puppet..."  
  
Dominique looked at Legato quizzically, wondering what he meant. Time passed, and later on, after the sun had set, Legato was busy sorting files in the office while Demona was in the hidden security room in the back, when he heard the door open. He looked up, and saw one of the board members, an older man with glasses and fading brown hair, enter.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr......."  
  
"Maxwell."  
  
"Right then, I'm afraid Ms. Destine is not present at this time."  
  
"That makes this easier then...."  
  
Legato narrowed his eyes a bit.  
  
"Some of us feel that Ms. Destine is too narrow-minded to properly run this company, and her unusual absence at night makes business transactions a bit of a problem, so..."  
  
"I've heard enough. I believe you are nothing more than a thorn in Ms. Destine's side, and should be removed..."  
  
"I do not believe she has authorized you to fire anyone."  
  
"I wasn't planning to fire you..."  
  
Legato then took out a pair of leather gloves from his suit's pocket, and put them on.  
  
"I'm leaving right....augh! My body! I can't move!"  
  
Legato paid no attention to Mr. Maxwell's vain struggles as he went over to his suitcase, opened it, and took out a weapon he had brought for protection means, which was a basic semi-automatic pistol. Mr. Maxwell tried to scream, but found that even his head refused to obey, and he could not. Legato then took a cloth, and wiped the pistol all over.  
  
"I do believe you know how to use one of these, don't you?"  
  
Maxwell shivered in fear, but was still unable to move on his own. Legato then took out the ammo clip from the pistol.  
  
"Why would a man intending to commit suicide need more than one bullet?"  
  
Maxwell was now in a cold sweat. Legato then walked over to Maxwell, and held the gun out to him.  
  
"I wouldn't worry so much about your death. It is unavoidable regardlessly, so I would suggest you enjoy the scenery I intend to send you to before you 'decide that life is driving you insane with it's monotony, and decide to end it all'. Now take your weapon, and go."  
  
Maxwell tried all he could to resist, but he found himself taking the gun anyway, and placing it into the inside pocket of his suit. He then walked out of the room as if nothing were wrong, and closed the door behind him. Legato smirked to himself.  
  
"And that takes care of Ms. Destine's usurpers...."  
  
Demona then came out of the back room, much to Legato's surprise.  
  
"You know someone might come in at any time."  
  
"I'm aware slave. I saw the whole incident in here.... what magic did you work on that man?"  
  
"Let's just leave it as an acquired skill from a source that I left behind in my past life."  
  
"You do realize his death will trigger a police investigation, don't you?" Demona asked Legato.  
  
"My ability to control people can include making them act in the way I wish. You have no need to fear this power of mine, since we both share the goal of wanting to eradicate the filth that calls itself humanity from this world. If the police decide to question us, we shall just tell them he had been acting oddly as of late, and you had recommended he take a two week vacation, which he had earned for his faithful dedication to the company."  
  
Demona then had an evil grin.  
  
"I can see now you were the best possible slave I could summon through my spell..."  
  
///////////////////////////////////  
  
Madison Square Garden, April 13th.  
  
Vash was currently admiring the beauty of the park, still vividly remembering his meeting with the gargoyles. He breathed deep, enjoying the crisp, cool air, which contrasted with Gunsmoke's hot, dry, scorching climate. Night had fallen awhile ago, and he was about ready to leave, when he heard someone coming into the park. He looked up, and saw a business man with graying brown hair and glasses seeming to be in a trance coming into the park.  
  
"Hey mister, are you all right?"  
  
The man then stopped, and Vash's expression became one of fear when he saw the man take a gun from his jacket, and put it up to the side of his head.  
  
"NO! DON'T DO IT!!!" Vash cried out.  
  
"Ugh! Stop...it.....Legato!!!!!" the man cried out, his last words...  
  
Then a shot rang out in the darkness, and the man's body slumped over, and fell to the ground. Vash stood there, quivering, fear on his face.  
  
"Legato? It can't be!"  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Short maybe, but I'm having trouble getting fic ideas. 


	5. Reason

First update in a long, long time for any of my fics, I know, and there are other fics I need to update more, but the term "writer's block" comes to mind. For some reason, this fic isn't blocked out from the block, so....  
  
Nightstone Unlimited, April 14th, past midnight.  
  
"Ms. Destine..." Legato started, ending a silence from him.  
  
"There are no other humans around, you may call me by my true name now." Was the reply from Demona's control room.  
  
"Right, I'm sorry. Demona...?"  
  
"Yes?" She asked, wondering what her slave was thinking.  
  
"Before we came here, you explained to me that you wished to make the gargoyle clan you know understand how humans truly are. Do you, perhaps, know where I can find them?"  
  
THAT got Demona's full, and undivided attention. She snarled a bit, eyes glowing red.  
  
"Whatever you are planning, slave, you will NOT bring harm to them, except perhaps for Goliath..." she demanded, as she was preparing to go and disembowel Legato for the thought.  
  
"No need for hostilities, I understand. Perhaps, however, if the human beings that they trust so well were to turn against them...."  
  
Demona thought, and a wicked grin crossed her face.  
  
"Perfect.....If that does not break their trust in humanity, then it would take the moving of Heaven and Earth to convince them...."  
  
She enjoyed the plan, but she did have to admit she was angry she hadn't thought of it before he did. Being outdone by a human, even her slave, was infuriating to her.  
  
"Perhaps the reason you had not thought sooner of this was due to troubles concerning where they reside." Legato mentioned, almost as if he were calming the storm he anticipated her emotions to become.  
  
"Yes....," she said, partly truth, partly to hide the fact he upstaged her, "David Xanatos is giving them haven on top of that tower of his..."  
  
"That would explain why those Quarrymen you have expressed such unfettered hatred of have not succeeded in destroying them yet.....Hmmmm...."  
Demona was now quite enjoying her slave's usefulness and willingness to help her.  
  
"You have a plan?" She asked.  
  
"I do..."  
  
Demona then grinned as Legato informed her of his plan.....  
  
Streets of Manhattan, April 14th, past dawn.  
  
"Calling all units, calling all units. Disturbance at Times Square, involvement of the Quarrymen has been confirmed."  
  
Elisa arched an eyebrow as she sped towards Times Square.  
  
"The Quarrymen? At Times Square? For some reason, this reeks of being wrong..."  
  
Elisa then held her collar close to her mouth, and spoke into a small microphone in it.  
  
"Can you hear me?"  
  
On the other end, Vash, who was currently resting against a tree in Madison Garden, placed a finger on a small receiver in his ear, and held a pen like a microphone to his mouth.  
  
"YAWN Mmm-hmmm..."  
  
"Don't tell me you were asleep..."  
  
"Well I've been up all night trying to find someone...."  
  
"Times Square, involving the Quarrymen."  
  
"Who?" Vash asked.  
  
Elisa was surprised he didn't know about them...  
  
"Anti-Gargoyle rioters, with weapons, and they want all gargoyles dead, and usually kill off anyone that shows sign of support for them."  
  
"WHAT!?! How horrible! I'll get there fast.....uh, where is Times Square anyway?"  
  
"....Tell me you're kidding..."  
  
"I wish I was! Right now I'm just running to the exit of the Garden!"  
  
"I'll tell him." Elisa's partner, Matt Bluestone, offered.  
  
"Right."  
  
Elisa allowed Matt to give Vash directions, while she began to think.  
  
'Why doesn't he know about the Quarrymen? It's pretty hot news across the country right now...'  
  
Times Square, April 14th  
  
The Square was in a panic, due to the at least thirty Quarrymen standing in the Square, blocking traffic, and shouting various anti- gargoyle rants, some of which involving numerous profanities. When Elisa and Matt arrived, Vash was unaccounted for, and other units had arrived on the scene. There was no way the Quarrymen were leaving unless it was in handcuffs and towards a police precinct...  
  
"SMASH THE GARGOYLES!!!"  
  
"KILL THEM ALL!!!!"  
  
Elisa and Matt got out of the car, aiming guns at the mob, much like the other officers.  
  
"Any idea what they're doing blocking Times Square?" Matt asked an officer.  
  
"No. They've been blocking it for the past two hours." The officer replied.  
  
"Awfully loud bunch, aren't they?" a familiar voice asked.  
  
The officer, Elisa, and Matt looked to see Vash standing next to the officer, surveying the situation.  
  
"What in the world are you doing here!?!" the officer yelped.  
  
"Where were you?" Matt asked, ignoring the officer.  
  
Vash closed his eyes, head nodded down slightly.  
  
"I had to come on foot you know..."  
  
"Wait, you asked for this loco to come!?!" The officer yelped in surprise.  
"You came on foot? Carrying that big cross? I'm surprised you got here so fast then..." Matt replied to Vash.  
  
"I can think of a few taxi drivers who would like to mount my head on top of their cabs though. MAN! Are all of New York's taxi driver's that unpleasant?"  
  
"Afraid so."  
  
The officer gave up trying to get an answer, and considering the mob was armed, reasoned any help would be appreciated.  
  
"All right, I give up....let's just get those jokers out of the Square...What the hell is that guy doing!?!"  
  
"Vash, you idiot!"  
  
Vash had currently set the cross down, and gone towards the mob with no weapon in hand. He only got within 10 yards before the mob was aiming at him.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
The mob didn't expect that sort of reaction.  
  
"What do you want, to join our cause?" one asked.  
  
"Not really, I just wanted to tell you that there are a lot of people who need to come through here to get to where they're going you know, so if you guys could please move so everyone can get home or to work, I'd really appreciate it!" Vash replied.  
  
When they decided to make Vash "dance", it became apparent he didn't get through to them.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WHAT'D I EVER DO TO YOU GUYS!?!?!"  
  
The mob was laughing, but not when all of them ran out of ammo...  
  
"What the hell? We all emptied out guns at him and he dodged every bullet!"  
  
"He just got lucky, that's all!"  
  
Behind the car barricade, Matt, Elisa, and the officer were a bit angry at Vash's foolishness, and impressed at how he dodged the bullets. Mostly angry...  
  
"Who does that guy think he is, Clint Eastwood!?!"  
"Meow!" was the reply from a black cat with big yellow eyes that had taken shelter under the police car.  
  
While Vash was at a stand-off with the Quarrymen, from atop a building overlooking the square, the dull yellow eyes of more than an observer watched the event.  
  
"I do not know how you followed me to this life Vash the Stampede, but I can and will assure you that you are not through with your pain. Though I serve a new master, I may still finish what Knives had set out to achieve...though I admit this changes my plans...."  
  
Legato then took out a photograph, which was of Elisa.  
  
"Especially since you may have connection to this woman...judging from your arrival...Ah well, it's time to end act one of the play. I hope you have no hard feelings Vash..."  
  
"Come on guys, can't we all just get along?" Vash asked.  
  
"As long as those wretched gargoyles are around, we'll keep up the actions against them.....in fact, we can't stand living in the same world they do...."  
  
All then gasped and were shocked when all of them took handguns out and put them against their own heads.  
  
"WHAT!?!?! NO, PLEASE DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!"  
  
Vash's plea went unanswered, as a synchronized shot rang through the Square....  
  
Xanatos Enterprises, April 15th, dawn approaching.  
  
"They WHAT!?!" Lexington yelped in surprise.  
  
"It's true. All 31 members of the riot committed suicide after saying that..." Matt told them.  
  
"My god....they'd go that far against us?" Angela asked.  
  
Vash was currently remaining silent, sitting on one of the parapets of a walkway of the castle.  
  
"Hey..."  
  
Vash looked over to Brooklyn, who had come over to Vash, seeing how upset he was. Brooklyn noticed Vash had been crying.  
"Why? Why did they have to do that?"  
  
Brooklyn was seeing first-hand the true Vash. Not the carefree Vash they had seen. not the horrific Humanoid Typhoon of the stories, but the child that Rem had guided and taught morals and principles that held stronger in him than in most mortal men. Brooklyn was a bit taken aback by this.  
  
"I don't know...I just don't know..."  
  
Brooklyn then join Vash, and sat next to him on the parapet.  
  
"Vash?"  
  
"...Yeah Brooklyn?"  
  
"You want to talk about something?"  
  
"Sure....what?"  
  
"I don't know, I didn't get to that yet....Maybe family?"  
  
"I don't have any true family except for a brother...."  
  
"What's his name?"  
  
"Knives..."  
  
Brooklyn sweatdropped, or would if that were natural.  
  
"Odd name...."  
  
"Yeah...."  
  
"How about your parents?"  
  
"Just my mother.....Rem Saverem..."  
  
".....I'm not helping, am I?"  
  
"It's not your fault....."  
  
"Elisa said you were up all night looking for someone...."  
  
"I was......two people actually.....Rem........and Legato."  
  
Brooklyn became curious.  
  
"Who's Legato?"  
  
"Someone I thought I'd left behind....He wants all of humanity dead and gone."  
  
"Sounds like Demona...".  
  
"Legato has done terrible things.....He's responsible for the deaths of over a hundred people.....him and his Gung-Ho Guns....."  
  
"Whoa....no wonder you're mad....."  
  
Vash then picked up Wolfwood's cross, and handed it to Brooklyn.  
  
"Keep this..."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Keep it safe for me. Please."  
  
Brooklyn nods, taking the cross with one hand. Unlike the last time he held it, it felt unusually light, considering how heavy it felt last time.  
  
"Wolfwood once said he gave it a name."  
  
"What is it?" Brooklyn asked.  
  
"Punisher."  
  
"All right, but where are you going?"  
  
Vash stood up, and began to walk off.  
  
"To find Legato..."  
  
Brooklyn watched Vash head off, before being called to reality.  
  
"Brooklyn, the sun is coming fast." Goliath said to him.  
  
"Uh, right."  
  
Brooklyn went over to his usual roost to spend the day. The other gargoyles did look toward him oddly, but the sun rose before they could say anything. Meanwhile, Vash had exited the building on the ground, and looked up to see the sun, while overhead, Brooklyn stood stone silent, holding the Punisher up...  
  
Just wait until you see what's planned for the next chapter... 


	6. Repeat of History

To the person claiming I only have surface knowledge of Gargoyles and Trigun - You must be one of the fanatical fans who whines if someone even so much as gets wrong which way a certain follicle of hair goes on one of the characters. If you would WAIT, perhaps you would see I know more than you think. I've seen every episode of both, minus Out of Time and part of Flying Ship for Trigun. Oh, and Fanfiction.net has recently been deleting my usual dividers in sections, so I'm experimenting with new ones.  
  
{Divide}  
  
Streets of Manhattan, April 15th, mid-day  
  
Vash had been wandering the streets of the city for hours now. He was feeling ill from lack of sleep, but pressed on. He knew he heard that man say Legato, and if Legato was here, he knew that he had to press on. He had been in thought about this as he went though. Wasn't Legato's only motive back at Gunsmoke being commanded to act by Knives, since Vash refused to ally with him? Why would he act on his own in a similar manner? Vash didn't know the answer, and kept moving, hoping to find it. He was unaware of the group following him while in his thoughts....  
  
{Divide}  
  
Nightstone Unlimited, April 15th, mid-day  
  
Legato himself was in thought at this time. Earlier a police investigation had gone underway, precisely as he predicted, and as planned, Demona and Legato told them the man had been acting odd, and was suggested to go on vacation with pay. All had gone well, and he had time to himself to look over the spell Demona had summoned him to life with, which he had brought in his suitcase to study. She was currently inspecting another section of the corporation, so he felt it safe to use this free time in such a manner.  
  
'Summon to my service, a being that shares my goals, my hatred, and my will. Summon from the void of the dead my servant, my slave, my puppet. Bring me a being capable of my will.' Legato thought to himself, reading from the scroll, while using a book he had also brought to translate.  
  
Legato thought over these words carefully, seeming to have a plan of his own, as he put the scroll and book back into the suitcase.  
  
'Hmmmm...Demona used this spell to bring me from the dead to this world to do her will....wait......the spell never once said I had to obey her...only that it would bring to her a being who shares her feelings, goals, and will....perhaps I can do something more here after all....'  
  
Legato then sat in silence, with a grin on his face.... {Divide}  
  
Streets of Manhattan, April 15th, afternoon  
  
The streets had become a hellish warzone, blazing with bullets and laser fire, screaming was heard in the area as people fled in terror from the scene. A van had cut off Vash, and the side door opened, revealing several goons with guns. Vash was doing all he could to dodge the assault, leaping, diving, and sprinting from cover to cover.  
  
'How long are they going to put innocent lives in danger to capture me? How long must the pain continue?' he asked himself mentally while behind the cover of a trash can.  
  
"MEOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!" a black cat with big yellow eyes shrieked as it ran into an alley, chased by a storm of weapon fire.  
  
"Come on out blondie! Our boss would like a few words with you!" one of the thugs shouted.  
  
Vash grimaced. He knew who they were now. They were of the same group that had attacked him in the police station, and in cold blood murdered at least one person in that assault to get to him. They were murderers, and would kill many to get him. Vash grew angry, and dove from cover, aiming his silver handgun at the group, took aim, and pulled the trigger...  
  
{Divide}  
  
Hamilton Steel Mill - Owned by Cyber Biotics, April 15th, afternoon  
  
The steel mill had been in use for a long time, both for steel foundry, and the creation of robots for Renard, current owner of Cyber Biotics. Today, however, was about to become more eventful as a powerful blast shook the foundation to it's very support beam, and cut power to the smelting room.  
  
"What the hell was that!?!" a worker shouted.  
  
"Whatever the hell it was, I hope it-AUUUUGGGHHH!!!"  
  
The worker's hand flew to his neck, and felt the handle of a dagger in his neck. His eyes rolled back in his head as he fell to the floor, gasping for air, losing blood rapidly, and convulsing. His friend stood there, trembling, turning pale, as he was blasted back towards the edge of the catwalk by an electrical force.  
  
"Who's there!?! Someone help me!!!" he screamed.  
  
He then saw two with a lot of metallic shining areas on their bodies leap onto the catwalk, evil grins on their face.  
  
"Our boss did say casualties were acceptable as long as the manager lived." A female voice said.  
  
"Then let's have a little fun, shall we sister?" a male voice replied.  
  
The man then screamed as the two grabbed him, and came into better light, both with brown hair and white skin, and golden metal parts, grabbed him, then tossed him over the side of the catwalk, screaming as he plummeted towards the vat of molten steel below....  
  
{Divide}  
  
Streets of Manhattan, April 15th, afternoon  
  
Vash's hopes sank as he heard a shallow and empty click. He was then fired upon by the thugs, and he screamed as he scrambled for cover in an alley. The thugs were shouting as he quickly opened his gun, and checked. All of the bullet casings were ejected, meaning they were empty.  
  
"What!?! Oh no!!" He yelped as he frantically checked the pockets of his coat.  
  
Nothing. Vash had used up all of the ammunition for his handgun, and couldn't afford more, though it wasn't as though he could waltz to a gun shop to buy more right now anyway. True, he did have his machine gun arm, but he preferred not to use that. He did also have his Angel Arm, but if he fired THAT, he would vaporize the entire city...  
  
"Only one choice..."  
  
He then decided to try to bluff them into running with the Angel Arm, hoping they would run so he didn't have to fire it. He didn't like the idea at all, but he had no choice. He then came out of the alley, ready to use his plan, only to be greeted with a pistol close to his face.  
  
"Are you going to keep running around all day or will you come with us?" the thug with the gun asked.  
  
Vash glanced around. The thugs had gotten tired of him dodging and had come to get him. He was surrounded, all of them aiming at him. He couldn't use the Angel Arm now without being shot at in the head to stop him. No he had no choice. He threw the gun up a slight ways, and caught it, holding it by the barrel for one of the thugs to take. He had to surrender.  
  
"Good choice blondie..." one said before hammering him in the back of the head with their weapon.  
  
Vash's head felt like it was going to rip open, the pain was so intense. His eyes went wide as he fell to the ground, and slipped out of consciousness...  
  
{Divide}  
  
Hamilton Steel Mill, April 15th, Afternoon  
  
"Send the defense robots out to stop those psychos!"  
  
"Affirmative!"  
  
In an office within the foundry, the order was given to release the defense robots, given by Cyber Biotics, to defend the foundry should attack occur. The robots, 8 foot high monoliths of destruction, came into the main smelting room to confront the threat. They began to search the area.  
  
"There's no sign of the intruders." a guard reported to his boss.  
  
"What? They left?"  
  
They were shortly proven wrong as a blue-haired man in a red suit, carrying a massive sword, ran at one of the robots, and swung the sword, ripping the robot in half. The other robots turned to aim at the man, but two were taken out of commission by electrical blasts, while several more succumbed to assault rifle fire, buzz-saw blades, rockets, tendrils, and a hail of thrown knives. One was left, and it was brought down by a metallic figure slamming it's knee into the robot's head, tearing it off.  
  
"I was correct. This place shall be quite useful in assisting our plans..." A tall figure with a flowing cloak of sorts said, in the darkness of the smelting room.  
  
The figure then signaled to a figure carrying a large box of sorts, who aimed part of the box at a door and fired a rocket. The rocket hit hard, and another powerful blast shook the foundry, as the group went through the now clear entrance. Inside was the manager of the foundry, a timid little man with thinning hair, who was cowering in a corner, while the guard he was speaking with was now a bloody pulp on the wall opposite the former door. The group all entered, and we then see Legato enter. He is now dressed in blue jeans, with a hole at the left knee, a white T- shirt, black fingerless gloves, a metal skull arm band on the upper left part of his arm, and a white trench coat with remained open. He stepped towards the man, and looked down at him.  
  
"Mr. Tobias Hamilton I believe. You are the proprietor of this place, are you not?" Legato asked him.  
  
The man was too frightened to answer.  
  
"Perhaps you need motivation to cooperate. My Gung-Ho Guns will be more than happy to oblige."  
  
Then the group stepped into the light, revealing all of them, and most of them to be dangerous enemies of the gargoyles.  
  
"Dracon the Blade."  
  
As Legato says each name of his Gung-Ho Guns, we focus our view on them. Tony Dracon is present in the group, dressed as normal. However, he has several swords with him. A katana on his side, a massive sword which he is holding with one hand and resting on his shoulder, a broadsword on his other side, and several daggers and knives in his cloak, which he is showing to Tobias by using his free hand to hold open his jacket to show him.  
  
"Wolf the Fierce."  
  
Next we see Wolf of the Pack, still a mutate werewolf, and in his same attire, but now has a shining battle axe on his side. He growls at Tobias, claws extended.  
  
"Jackal and Hyena, the Devil Twins."  
  
We then see Jackal and Hyena, the brother and sister pair from The Pack, both with arms crossed, looking at Tobias, giving him evil sneers.  
  
"Fang the Nightmare."  
  
Then we see Fang, the mountain lion mutate from the underground, sparking energy in his left hand, assault rifle on his right shoulder.  
  
"Cold Steel the Heartless."  
  
Then we see the evil part of the three personalities that had inhabited Cold Stone at one point, who now possessed a completely machine body, coupled with nano-machines to mend damages to it, and able to form tendrils.  
  
"Jack the Loner."  
  
We then see a new person, with brown hair, green eyes, lightly tanned skin, and currently wearing a modified mercenary outfit, which has light armor on the legs, arms, and torso. He has several ammunition pouches on his outfit, and several weapon being carried on his person. He has his arms crossed, leaning on a wall, glancing at Tobias.  
  
"And last, Dead eye the Undertaker."  
  
Another new person to us, with pale skin, dark sunglasses, waist length black hair, a black suit with a white shirt under the black jacket, and a black top hat. He is carrying a coffin which is his size, with a strap from end to end lengthwise, which he uses to carry the coffin over one shoulder. He has a twisted grin on his face.  
  
"Now then, will you talk, or will you die?" Legato asks.  
  
"I-I-I-I-I-I'm Tobias..." the man finally said.  
"Good, we found him." Dracon commented.  
  
"Well then..."  
  
Legato then reached into his coat, and took out a paper.  
  
"You will sign over ownership of this place to us, or we will force you to. Either way, you are no longer proprietor of this foundry as of now..."  
  
{Divide}  
  
What happened to Vash? What does Legato want with the foundry? Why has he gathered together a new Gung-Ho Guns? Answers, waiting in the darkness of the future, questions, lying in the ruins of the past. Do these answers solve the riddle of the questions, or do they only create more? 


	7. Reflections of the Past

Time for the next update. For my random switching of tense, that's a problem I have, because I tend to forget what tense I'm trying to use while writing, and looking back at what I've written so far doesn't help much. If you see it, overlook it unless it's really, REALLY ruining a scene. Oh, and I forgot the name of the tiger Mutate....sorry.  
  
{Divide}  
  
Xanatos Enterprises, April 15th, nightfall.  
  
Sleep for Brooklyn was troubled, though none could tell, since he had, like always, become stone during it. Or was it becoming stone that made him sleep? He never asked. Either way, he was worried about Vash. He has seemed very upset when he left....and who was this "Legato" exactly? He knew that he caused death and destruction, from what Vash told him, but....there had to be more to it. Vash was too upset it seemed... The sun set, releasing the gargoyles from their sleep, and whatever dreams they had, though they had to break free of the stone "skin" that was always left. When Brooklyn awoke, he was still holding the Cross Punisher. He looked at it in thought for a moment, then looked around... Lexington was petting Bronx, Goliath and Angela had gone over to Elisa and Xanatos, discussing something. Hudson was looking over the city, and Broadway was trying to eavesdrop on the discussion.  
  
"....Something's wrong..." He said aloud, but to himself.  
  
"What?" Lexington asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh...I don't know....it's just....I'm going out, okay?"  
  
"Where are you-"Broadway started.  
  
"ALONE....and I don't know anyway..." Brooklyn replied.  
  
The fact he was going alone was enough to perk the interest of the others. Not only was that unusual for him, but he was acting a little differently than usual.  
  
"Brooklyn, wait!" Goliath called out, though too late.  
  
Brooklyn had already leapt off the tower to glide out somewhere, carrying the cross with him. True, it was heavy, at least according to some, but now, it didn't bother Brooklyn at all to carry, not even while gliding.  
  
"Lexington, go after Brooklyn. We need him with us." Goliath commanded.  
  
"Did something happen?" Hudson asked.  
  
"A group of unidentified lunatics attacked the underground where my brother and the others are. They broke Fang out." Elisa replied.  
"WHAT!?!" Lexington yelped.  
  
"That's not all there is to it either," Xanatos noted, "Their apparent leader left a threat that they'd attack again after they 'concluded other business' as he put it."  
  
"Then we'd better get over there to make sure they don't!" said Broadway.  
  
Lexington ran over to the edge of the castle to look for Brooklyn.  
  
"Terrific..." he groaned sarcastically, "I'm too late...I can't see him..."  
  
"Where could he be going?" Angela wondered out loud.  
  
{Divide}  
  
Location undisclosed, April 15th, night.  
  
Vash had come to, bound with rope and chain. He blinked, and wiggled a bit.  
  
'I'm alive....what do they want with me?'  
  
He then slipped free of the bonds.  
  
"You know, they never seem to tie me up very well..."  
  
He then checked himself to see if they took anything. His machine gun arm was intact and fully loaded. They either didn't notice it, or thought it was a prosthetic....a NORMAL one....his handgun was still there too. They must've discovered it was empty, or were pretty confident he wasn't escaping. Might've been both. However, he didn't have bullets on hand to put in it. That was one of the troubles of being a wandering drifter. You just can't afford things like that when you need to... His pen/radio was also gone.  
  
"Well now, let's check what else..."  
  
Vash examined his surroundings. Dark, with the smell of gunpowder and grease in the air. Human senses wouldn't have detected the smell, but given Vash isn't actually human, he could. He could also hear footsteps, so he quickly put the rope and chain back on, holding it so it looked tight, but also so he could let go and be free. A door opened, and a light was turned on. Vash saw mass-production machinery for weapons. Internally, he scowled in anger. He also saw the black-haired, ponytail sporting, blue eyed man enter, along with the person he apparently calls boss, a black man with glasses, walk in.  
  
"So you're the one Johnson said took out the entire team sent to kill you...." the black man stated.  
  
"Uh, hey, could you let me out of these? They're kind of tight!" He said, acting like the oblivious oaf he usually does.  
  
"....HE'S the guy that managed that?" the boss asked Johnson, looking at him.  
  
"Hey, don't let him fool you...he moves too damn fast to be human..." he answered, looking at his boss.  
  
"Hey, there's no need to be insulting. It can really hurt a guy, you know?" Vash said, still acting like the oblivious oaf he does.  
  
They both panicked and sweatdropped, because his voice came from BEHIND them. They looked back, and he was waving.  
  
"Hello."  
  
They then looked to where the pile of rope and chain was, and back to Vash, both taking out handguns. The boss, though, found he had cold steel up on his forehead. Vash had his gun to his head, trying to bluff his way out of this.  
  
"So, do you believe your friend now?" Vash asked, still being oblivious.  
  
The boss laughed a bit, making Vash blink.  
  
"Well, he got that right, and I need someone with your skill for a hit."  
  
Vash's anger at them grew too much to bear for his patience. He still kept from going crazy with anger, but he also dropped his act.  
  
"People like you...who murder for their own gain, their own greedy desires...I get sick just thinking about it..."  
  
Vash then heard the clicks of several weapons behind and around him. He was surrounded again.  
  
"I don't think you understand. You have no choice. And you can drop the charade, my men already found your gun's empty..."  
  
Vash grimaced. He needed a miracle....  
  
{Divide}  
  
Meanwhile, outside said location.  
  
Brooklyn was resting on a rooftop of a warehouse, sitting on the edge, in thought.  
"....I don't get it...I....I know something's wrong...but I can't figure out wha-....hello."  
  
Brooklyn's gaze fell upon a couple of goons below. One was wearing fancy dark sunglasses, despite it being night, and the other was sporting a fancy dark jacket, which he wore on his back, but without his arms in the sleeves. The one with sunglasses had headphones on. Both were carrying high-tech laser rifles. That usually adds up to trouble.  
  
"Hey, take those off for a second."  
  
"Huh?" The sunglasses one asked his partner, removing them.  
  
Brooklyn then clearly heard lyric-less music. He didn't recognize it. However, it is the song Nerve Rack from Trigun.  
  
Note - for those who want to, yes, you can play that while reading this. Heck, I encourage it. A friend suggested using a Trigun theme for Brooklyn for this fic, so that's what I picked. Just don't ask me for a link...I one I have is really...really....long....okay, fine... ?&idx=628&viewType=title&init ialKey=T&page=1&subPageType=pds&dataMode=snd Can't link to the song though.  
  
"You hear about that crazy blonde guy?"  
  
"Huh? Yeah. Isn't the boss trying to convince him to do a hit for us?"  
  
"Yeah, Johnson says he can't be human from how fast he moves..."  
  
Brooklyn heard enough. He leapt down, Cross Punisher held over his back by one hand.  
  
"Where's the guy?" he demanded.  
  
The goons looked at Brooklyn, weapons ready.  
  
"Heh, looks like those freaks found religion!" The one in the sunglasses said.  
  
Brooklyn actually smirked, glad he was reminded about the cross, which he set down. How it stood straight up without toppling, no one knew.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Brooklyn replied, as he pulled the one strap holding the canvas on it.  
  
The canvas practically flew off as the Cross Punisher unfolded it's arsenal, making both thugs turn pale.  
  
"HOLY F CRAP!!!!!"  
Brooklyn then blinked in confusion as they both turn tail and fled like cowards, dropping the sunglasses, jacket, and walkman, which was still playing.  
  
"So much for loyal peons..." Brooklyn muttered, not knowing the current word for thug.  
  
Brooklyn then picked up and put on the sunglasses for fun, and the jacket as well, though he first tore out part of the back for his wings.  
  
"They won't mind losing these I guess....that, and I lost that last outfit...I really liked it too. Guess this will work." He said to himself, remembering the time he tried riding a motorcycle. That didn't go too well. That didn't mean he'd lost his interest in the way people dress.  
  
He then took one of the laser pistols out of the cross, and had it close back up. He carried the cross in one hand, the pistol in the other.  
  
"Unless all those guys in there are like those two, I'm going to need this stuff..."  
  
He then went into the now unguarded door, and ran down a hall, looking for Vash...  
  
{Divide}  
  
Present moment, Vash's Location.  
  
"Going to kill the guy for us now?" one goon asked Vash.  
  
"I'd rather die..."  
  
"Funny you should menti-"  
  
Brooklyn then rammed down the thug blocking the door with a shoulder tackle.  
  
"GET DOWN!" He shouted.  
  
Vash looked back quickly. In his sense of time, he had time to pause, and blink.  
  
'Wha....'  
  
Vash briefly thought he was seeing someone from his past, before he recognized them, and ducked.  
  
"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING O-HOLY!!!"  
  
Brooklyn blasted into the room, with one laser pistol and one Magnum in hand.  
  
"YEARGH!!!"  
"MY LEG!!!"  
  
Brooklyn winced, realizing the second gun he grabbed wasn't one of the laser pistols Vash had set to stun....luckily for the thugs, he wasn't aiming for vital areas anyway.  
  
"Oops..."  
  
One thug opened fire at Brooklyn, who leapt to the side to avoid this, and blasted him with the laser pistol, knocking him out. That left Johnson and his boss, both firing at Brooklyn. Vash, however, kicked Johnson in the face, sending him to dreamland. That left the boss, who tried to charge Brooklyn with a knife, having run out of ammo, only to get smacked in the face by Brooklyn's tail. Brooklyn stood straight, still holding the guns.  
  
"What kind of protector of the city are you!?!" Vash shouted.  
  
Brooklyn winced internally. He knew what Vash meant. However, he thought for a second. True, they were injured from the Magnum, but he glanced over them. Worse than the usual thrashing they get from going hand- to-hand against a gargoyle, but still...  
  
"Well, they're only injured, right? It's not like they're going to keel over and die."  
  
Vash then smirked, which did confuse Brooklyn.  
  
"You know what? You remind me of someone I knew."  
  
Brooklyn blinked.  
  
"Who?" he asked.  
  
"The person that used to have that, before I did." Vash replied, as he headed over to the boss.  
  
The boss was conscious, and getting up, but Vash picked him up with one hand, looking face-to-face.  
  
"Now then," He said, once again acting oblivious, "could I have my pen back?"  
  
The boss held the pen up from a pocket, which Vash took back.  
  
"Now that I have that back..." Vash said, then stopped his act again, eyes narrowed at the boss, "you're going to jail. I never want to see someone like you ever again, murderer..."  
  
Vash then dropped the boss, and hit him on the side of the neck with the bottom of his handgun, knocking him out. Brooklyn was taken off-guard by Vash's change in attitude, but said nothing, as Vash twisted part of the pen, turning the radio in it back on.  
"Glad I shut this off while those goons in the van were fighting me...huh?"  
  
They both heard Elisa's voice from it.  
  
"Vash! Do you hear me?....why is there no answer?"  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Vash said into the pen.  
  
"WHERE WERE YOU!?!" Elisa shouted.  
  
"He got into trouble again." Brooklyn said loudly, to be heard from where he was, which was making sure the injuries wouldn't be fatal in the thugs.  
  
"Brooklyn's with you? Good, because we need both of you! A group consisting of old enemies of ours are attacking the underground shelter, and the fight's getting wild! There's already a hole blown up to street level!"  
  
"WHAT!?!?!" Brooklyn yelped, and bumped into Vash, to get to the pen.  
  
"We need help here!" Elisa shouted.  
  
"Coming!" Brooklyn responded, practically dragging Vash with him.  
  
"You don't have to drag me, I'm coming anyway." Vash replied, in his oblivious act.  
  
{Divide}  
  
Underground "Kingdom", April 15th, before and during the events at the gang hide-out.  
  
Goliath was becoming a bit impatient. He knew, and accepted the fact that it is his duty to protect the good beings, human or otherwise, in this city. However, they had been waiting for almost two hours. They did pass time with idle talk earlier, but as time passed, tensions rose, and silenced them in wait. Then they heard it. Footsteps, approaching the largest chamber of the underground. All were nervous. Maggie was also concerned, and wondering why Brooklyn didn't come with the others. Then he stepped into the light. The man, wearing white, with a metal skull band on his arm, with the yellow eyes, devoid of pupils, and the blue hair, and that knowing, evil smirk. Legato. He glanced around at those waiting, seeing the weapons held by some, the natural electricity, and the glowing eyes, all waiting for him. He responded with laughter.  
  
"Well now, perhaps I should have been expecting this."  
  
"You again..." Talon snarled.  
  
"I see that you are allies with them, just as Fang told me you were."  
"What do you want here?" Elisa demanded, her gun aimed at him.  
  
"It's nothing personal my dear, merely a matter of business..." Was his reply, before all of them were suddenly without control of their bodies.  
  
"What sorcery is this!?!" Goliath yelled, furious.  
  
The gargoyles and Mutates were affected as well, but not as strongly as the humans, and Legato knew this the moment he applied this power to them. He narrowed his eyes a bit, and watched them, making jerky motions, trying to break loose of his hold.  
  
"Well, it would seem I need to learn to adjust this power to you as well...no matter..."  
  
Then an explosion blasted a hole in the "ceiling", raining down debris, which pummeled the people, gargoyles, and mutates, though no serious injuries. The Gung-Ho Guns then jumped down into the chamber.  
  
"You!?!" several of them yelped.  
  
"Ooohhh, I've been waiting for this..." Fang said, smirking.  
  
"My feelings exactly..." Dracon replied, bringing a giant sword he held, leaning on his shoulder, in front of him to hold with two hands.  
  
"Hmph, there's no sport in killing them like this though..." Wolf muttered.  
  
Legato glanced to Wolf.  
  
"Hmmm...you'll have your sport Wolf the Fierce. If our goal is to utterly destroy them, then we would need to include in mind and spirit, am I right?"  
  
Hyena had her own smirk as she walked over to Lexington, and had one of her claws go slowly across, but not damaging his face.  
  
"Right, especially this gullible one..."  
  
Lexington squirmed furiously of Legato's control, and actually knocked her down in the process.  
  
"Ergh....besides, they seem to be unusually strong in mind and will...I can't hold them long anyway, with so many to hold like that...have your fun with them..." Legato said, releasing them.  
  
The fight started fast and fierce. Dracon leapt at Hudson, covering a super-human distance to do so. Elisa took the chance to attempt to contact Vash on her lapel radio, with no answer. She then barely avoided getting hit by Jackal's arm, which extended at her. Lexington tackled Jackal, ending his threat to Elisa.  
  
"Okay, you and me old one! I want to see just how much I live up to the name Dracon the Blade!" He said, as he brought the sword down at Hudson.  
  
Hudson held his sword up to block the strike, which it did, but there was too much power behind it to stay in place. Hudson was knocked back.  
  
"You're awfully strong for someone like yerself!" He said to Dracon.  
  
"Genetic enhancement! Steady hands, incredible strength, reflexes and speed to kill for, and sharp sight! You look like you need it yourself!" Dracon replied, while throwing the giant sword up to try to strike with a katana from a hilt on his side.  
  
Hudson blocked this too, but also noticed his sword cracked.  
  
"This doesn't look too good..." he muttered to himself.  
  
Dracon then put the katana back, leapt up, caught the giant blade in mid-fall, and held it to try to cleave Hudson in two.  
  
"Too bad you won't live to get it! Die!" he shouted, coming down hard.  
  
Hudson leapt back to avoid the strike. Meanwhile, Jackal and Hyena were double-teaming Broadway and Lexington.  
  
"Got you!" Hyena shouted, as she flung razor disks from her shoulder joints.  
  
The two gargoyles leapt over the disks to avoid them.  
  
"Saw it coming." Broadway replied.  
  
Jackal tackled Lexington, who then monkey-flipped him onto the rail- road tracks near-by. Cold Steel targeted Goliath, who was trying to keep the tendrils from lassoing him.  
  
"Well brother? I expected more fight from you!" Cold Steel taunted.  
  
"I haven't begun to fight yet..." Goliath replied, getting angry.  
  
Dead Eye was currently against the tiger Mutate. Both remained silent, as Dead Eye fired machine guns, rockets, lasers, grenades, and other nasty surprises from the coffin he carried, which his foe struggled to evade. Elisa called for Vash again, this time getting to him, as mentioned earlier. Legato himself was watching, while also keeping the numerous stray people from interfering in his own way. He was actually enjoying something for once. He found the fight quite entertaining...  
"Hold still!" Talon shouted, trying to blast the Gung-Ho Gun that was targeting him. Jack the Loner.  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure, right, I want to be barbeque for a Hello Kitty reject!" He taunted, while dodging the blasts with super-human skill even Dracon, who had genetic enhancement, couldn't match.  
  
Jack then dodged one blast by bending back Matrix-style. Except he added a twist, putting his hands back on the ground, coiling his legs up, and springing at Talon, where he kicked his feet out for extra impact. Talon had the wind knocked out of him, and was pretty sure he heard ribs cracking.  
  
"Derek!" Elisa shouted, before dodging an axe swing from Wolf.  
  
Legato arched an eyebrow, and thought. Jack stood up, taking a martial arts stance, and motioned for Talon to bring it on. Talon, angry, did so, and the two were fighting tooth and nail, Talon literally doing so, in hand-to-hand combat. Maggie and Angela got over to Legato.  
  
"We still have to settle matters with you!" Maggie told him.  
  
Legato looked at the two.  
  
"Why is it you all act in the way humans do?" Legato asked them, "No matter, Dead Eye, we have now need of those humans."  
  
"Yes...." Dead Eye responded, and aimed his coffin at the stray people, who Legato forced into a tight group.  
  
"NO!!!" Several, including Talon, Maggie, Elisa, the gargoyles, and some of the people shouted.  
  
Dead Eye then fired, sending a rocket flying at the group...  
  
{Divide}  
  
Cliff-hanger again. Don't I suck for that? 


	8. Regretful Past

1Back now, so I'm updating at long last. And I'm aware mine isn't the only Trigun/Gargoyles fic now. All I have to say to that is that so what?

Divide

The rocket flew fast at the people, with the intent of destroying them where they stood. It never reached destination, as a second rocket flew down at it, and destroyed both of them, harming none.

"What?" Legato called out, looking up to the hole in the road.

When they looked, they could see Vash and Brooklyn standing at the edge of the hole. Brooklyn was carrying the Cross Punisher over his shoulder, it smoking slightly, having been the source of the second rocket. Vash was glaring at Legato.

"Legato!" Vash yelled out.

"Well, so we finally cross paths in this world. Do you still have the naive hope in humanity?"

Vash and Brooklyn leapt down into the subway, Brooklyn going to fight off Dracon, who had knocked Hudson out, and gone after Maggie. Vash landed in front of Legato, and the two were looking eye to eye...

"There is nothing naive about having hope for the good of the people."

"But you're assuming there is good to be salvaged. Human beings are little more than a parasite on this planet. You and I both know this. We both know what is to come."

Vash unveiled his machine gun, and prepared to fight Legato.

"It won't come. Not again. This world is worth fighting for!"

Legato laughed. Vash scowled. Around them, the fighting was becoming more intense, as Lexington slammed Hyena into a fuse box, electrocuting her, and starting a fire.

"Even if it may cost you your being? Your existence? Think about it Vash. The only reason you and Knives came to be was because of the devastation of this planet..."

"I know this."

"And you would still prevent that?"

"Without any question." Vash responded, ending the dialogue, and firing at Legato, who evaded the shots, surprising Vash.

"It's time we concluded our visit here. It would be suicide to stay as this kingdom falls into ruins." Legato said to his Gung-Ho Guns.

"We'll fight again girls." Dracon said, before leaping over to Legato. The Gung-Ho Guns broke off fighting with the others to regroup, and flee into the tunnels.

"Why are you doing this!" Angela demanded.

"It's nothing personal my dear, simply a matter of business." Legato replied, before fleeing into the tunnels.

"Damn!" Vash muttered.

Claw then pointed to the fires, which were growing out of control, destroying the support beams.

"Claw's right, we have to get out of here now!" Talon called out.

"Legato, this isn't over!" Vash yelled out, before everyone fled down a main subway tunnel, before the street began to collapse onto the once active chambers...

Divide

It wasn't much later that they had regrouped on an old and unused subway platform further down the line. Vash was currently looking for something to cover his left arm, while Angela and Maggie were asking Brooklyn about the new look. Elisa went over to Vash.

"Do you know him?"

"Hmm?" Vash asked, being innocent.

"That main in command of them."

Vash looked down.

"Yeah...I thought he was out of my life forever..."

"Who is he, and what the heck did he do to us?"

"His name is Legato Bluesummers...and it's a long story..."

With Brooklyn, things were a little more active.

"Why in the world are you wearing that?" Angela asked.

"What? I happen to like some human fashion, okay?"

"I can possibly understand the sunglasses, but I never imagined I'd see you in a suit jacket." Maggie commented.

Goliath sighed, arms crossed. Talon came over to him.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping us Goliath."

"But we weren't able to keep them from destroying-"

"I know, but no one died either. That's something to be happy about."

"True..though I can't help wonder why that man called it 'business'.."

Divide

Nightstone Unlimited, Day.

Demona was currently in an ill mood. She had to head to Europe to obtain something of importance in a plan of hers, and after finding out about Legato's little escapade into the sewers, which she wasn't part of, she wasn't about to leave the city with him around. On top of that, she was in human form, and that always made her a little edgy...

"And you got the gargoyles involved! What in the hell were you doing?"

Legato remained calm during her anger, which was quite a feat considering she might literally rip him apart. He remained seated, and leaned forward.

"Trying to lure out the remaining link to my past, so that I may destroy it."

Legato then pushed up the left sleeve of his suit, revealing the arm attached to his body.

"This arm belonged to that man, and is how I am able to manipulate the minds and bodies of humans. Think of it this way. If I am capable of this with just his arm.." he said, pushing the sleeve down, "Imagine what he could do. He may not be aware of it yet, but he is more than capable of breaking my hold over others. Even without that, he is very much capable of acting as a human typhoon against your plans here."

Demona scowled. She didn't like where this was going, at all...

"What man?"

"He is known as Vash. He may act the part of a fool, and of a human, but he is neither. He is something above human, and very dangerous if he should ever choose to be."

Demona arched an eyebrow. She'd prefer eye ridge, but as human, this is what she had to use.

"And what does this intriguing being look like?"

"He bears a long red coat, and covers his left arm in dark leather. He is blonde, with green eyes, and I imagine he was carrying a cross with him for some time."

Demona scowled, externally and internally. The chicken-running idiot that cost her a security system days ago fit the description perfectly, including in super-human ability.

"I think I've met this man before. I knew there was something different about him, but this..."

"He does fool most with his actions when they first meet him."

"If it is so important to eliminate him, then do so, but I warn you, you will not eliminate the gargoyles."

"I'm aware of this. I have already made arrangements.."

Divide

Xanatos Enterprises building, earlier that day, before dawn.

The gargoyles were preparing to rest as stone for the night. They did notice, however, Vash seemed very much tense.

"Hey Vash, what's wrong?" Brooklyn asked.

"I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Lexington asked.

"To find Legato!"

They noticed Vash looked furious. Something they never expected from him. Vash walked off to leave. They were going to stop him, but Brooklyn stopped them.

"Let him go. Something tells me he needs to sort this out alone..."

"But-"

"I mean it..."

The gargoyles then returned to their roosts, as dawn broke over the city. While above, Brooklyn remained over the city, holding the Cross Punisher, below, Vash walked off alone, seeking to put a final end to his past haunting him...

Divide

Expect more to come.


End file.
